Samsung Biologics, Celltrion to attend J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco

The annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference will be held in San Francisco from Jan. 8 to 11, with six Korean companies set to deliver presentations at the event. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean pharmaceutical companies including Samsung Biologics and Celltrion are scheduled to attend the upcoming J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco from Jan. 8 to 11.

The companies are vying to land big contracts during the annual deal-making event.

The conference is its 42nd year, and it is one of the largest and most influential investment symposiums in the health care and pharmaceutical sectors.

The upcoming event is expected to be attended by 600 companies in the pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals and health care industries and attract some 8,000 attendees including investors and corporate representatives.

Six Korean companies will be delivering presentations during the event, with two — Samsung Biologics and Celltrion — set to feature on the main stage, or “main track,” alongside other global big pharma companies.

The other four — Yuhan Corporation, SK Biopharmaceuticals, Lotte Biologics and Kakao Healthcare — will join the smaller presentation session dedicated to companies in the Asia-Pacific region. Other companies such as SK Bioscience, Hanmi Pharmaceuticals, GC Cell, CHA Biotech, Dong-A ST and ABL Bio will also be attending the conference for partnership meetings.

This is the eighth year for Samsung Biologics, the world’s largest contract manufacturing and development organization (CDMO) by production capacity, to attend the event upon the host’s invitation.

Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim will take center stage on Jan. 9 to discuss the company’s highlights of 2023 and its mid- to long-term plans under the theme of “Leap Forward, Beyond the Reach of the Past.”

Celltrion is returning to San Francisco after a four-year hiatus, with its founder and chairman Seo Jung-jin set to give a presentation about the company’s business plan for the upcoming year. Celltrion will complete its merger with Celltrion Healthcare by Thursday.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]